65 research outputs found

    Evaluation of Different Levels of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Cow Compost on the Yield and Nitrate Uptake of Allium hirtifolium in FereydunShahr Region

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    Introduction  Iranian shallot, scientifically known as Allium hirtifolium Boiss. is a perennial plant of the Allium genus and native to Iran. The Allium genus has many antioxidant properties due to its being rich in organic compounds of sulfur and phenol. The shallot is used to treat rheumatic and inflammatory pains, soothe superficial wounds, treat some stomach diseases, be antispasmodic, and also as a spice and flavoring in some foods. Considering the health benefits of shallot and its application in the food industry, shallot corms are harvested from the natural resources in different stages of growth. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve the natural habitats of shallot and also supply the market demand for this plant. It appears that the cultivation of shallots within agricultural systems could serve as a significant strategy for meeting the demands of the expanding global market. Furthermore, shallots are known for their low water requirements, making their cultivation a focal point in Isfahan province in recent years. Additionally, this crop stands out as a high-income generator in the region. Despite its economic potential, there has been limited research into optimizing the growth conditions for this valuable plant. Hence, this study aimed to explore the impact of urea and cow compost on the yield of Iranian shallots in the Fereydun Shahr region, focusing on the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and nitrates.   Materials and Methods  This research was carried out in the crop year of 1400-1401 in a field with an area of 300 square meters (32° 55' 53" N, 49° 56' 43" E) located in Fereydunshahr city of Isfahan province. The experiment was conducted according to a completely randomized design. Factorial arrangement of experimental treatments including two fertilization factors (urea and cow compost) was used. Plots with dimensions of 2 × 3 meters were created with a distance of 50 cm between the rows. The treatments were considered as urea fertilization at four levels (0, 120, 240 and, 360 kg ha-1) and cow compost treatment at three levels (0, 40 and, 60 tons ha-1). After plotting and applying cow compost treatments, shallot corms were planted at a depth of 10 to 15 cm in November 1400. Urea fertilizer treatment was applied in two stages, the first stage when the plant germinated (mid-April) and the second stage before flowering (second half of May). All treatments were applied in 3 replications. It should be noted that the treatments in this research are shown as 0-0 (control), 0-40, 0-60, 120-0, 120-40, 120-60, 240-0, 240-40, 240-60, 360-0, 360-40 and 360-60. The corms were harvested in June 1401 and the fresh and dry yield of the shallots was determined. The amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and, potassium in shallots was measured. Nitrate concentration was also measured in the harvested corms based on the Iranian national standard No. 4106. The nitrogen, phosphorus and, potassium uptake by shallots was obtained from the product of yield and the concentration of these elements. Results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure and the means were compared using the protected least significant difference (LSD) test at р < 0.05 probability level using SAS 9.3 software.   Results and Discussion  The results showed that the combined use of chemical fertilizer (urea) and cow compost has a significant effect on the shallot yield increment, as the highest yield was obtained in the combined treatment of urea fertilizer 240 (kg ha-1) and cow compost 40 (ton ha-1) application. Although the highest nitrogen concentration and uptake were observed in the treatment of 360 (kg ha-1) of urea along with 60 (ton ha-1) of cow compost, it was not significantly different from the treatment of 240-40 (the treatment with the highest yield). In general, the concentration of shallots nitrate was much lower than the permissible limit according to the national standard of Iran No. 16596. The highest nitrate concentration (24.63 mg kg-1 of fresh weight) was observed in the combined treatment of 120 (kg ha-1) of urea and 60 (ton ha-1) of cow compost application (120-60), which was significantly higher than other treatments. On the other hand, the concentration of shallots nitrate in the 240-40 treatment was significantly lower than the treatments of 360 kg of urea per hectare along with 40 or 60 (ton ha-1) of cow compost.   Conclusion  According to the results, to achieve the best yield, the most suitable level of urea application was 240 kg ha-1 and the best level of cow compost was 40 ton ha-1. It seems, utilization more amounts of urea or cow compost will only cause additional costs to the farmer and a waste of capital. Moreover, it can increase environmental pollution and nitrate concentration of product, which cause to quality decrement

    Proactive Maintenance Strategy Based on Resilience Empowerment for Complex Buildings

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    Resilience of the built environment, particularly in complex buildings, is strictly related to the effectiveness of systems and sub-systems that provide the expected features to manage risk scenarios in routine and non-routine conditions. In this perspective, maintenance is therefore a key factor to assure building resilience by keeping systems and equipment in the required operational state. Risk management can be empowered if system resilience and disruptive events are monitored in real-time, and, to this aim, proactive maintenance can nowadays monitor systems resilience with innovative digital tools

    More attention on glial cells to have better recovery after spinal cord injury

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    Functional improvement after spinal cord injury remains an unsolved difficulty. Glial scars, a major component of SCI lesions, are very effective in improving the rate of this recovery. Such scars are a result of complex interaction mechanisms involving three major cells, namely, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. In recent years, scientists have identified two subtypes of reactive astrocytes, namely, A1 astrocytes that induce the rapid death of neurons and oligodendrocytes, and A2 astrocytes that promote neuronal survival. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that the macrophage polarization state is more of a continuum between M1 and M2 macrophages. M1 macrophages that encourage the inflammation process kill their surrounding cells and inhibit cellular proliferation. In contrast, M2 macrophages promote cell proliferation, tissue growth, and regeneration. Furthermore, the ability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells to differentiate into adult oligodendrocytes or even neurons has been reviewed. Here, we first scrutinize recent findings on glial cell subtypes and their beneficial or detrimental effects after spinal cord injury. Second, we discuss how we may be able to help the functional recovery process after injury. © 2021 The Author

    Fabrication of chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol and silk electrospun fiber seeded with differentiated keratinocyte for skin tissue regeneration in animal wound model

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    Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived keratinocytes on it was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. It was expected that fabricated hybrid construct could promote wound healing due to its structure, physical, biological specifications. The fabricated fibrous mats were characterized for their structural, mechanical and biochemical properties. The shape uniformity and pore size of fibers showed smooth and homogenous structures of them. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) verified all typical absorption characteristics of Ch-PVA + Silk polymers as well as Ch-PVA or pure PVA substrates. The contact angle and wettability measurement of fibers showed that mats found moderate hydrophilicity by addition of Ch and silk substrates compared with PVA alone. The mechanical features of Ch-PVA + Silk fibrous mat increase significantly through co-electrospun process as well as hybridization of these synthetic and natural polymers. Higher degrees of cellular attachment and proliferation obtained on Ch-PVA + Silk fibers compared with PVA and Ch-PVA fibers. In terms of the capability of Ch-PVA + Silk fibers and MSC-derived keratinocytes, histological analysis and skin regeneration results showed this novel fibrous construct could be suggested as a skin substitute in the repair of injured skin and regenerative medicine applications. © 2020, The Author(s)

    Maximization of propylene in an industrial FCC unit

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    YesThe FCC riser cracks gas oil into useful fuels such as gasoline, diesel and some lighter products such as ethylene and propylene, which are major building blocks for the polyethylene and polypropylene production. The production objective of the riser is usually the maximization of gasoline and diesel, but it can also be to maximize propylene. The optimization and parameter estimation of a six-lumped catalytic cracking reaction of gas oil in FCC is carried out to maximize the yield of propylene using an optimisation framework developed in gPROMS software 5.0 by optimizing mass flow rates and temperatures of catalyst and gas oil. The optimal values of 290.8 kg/s mass flow rate of catalyst and 53.4 kg/s mass flow rate of gas oil were obtained as propylene yield is maximized to give 8.95 wt%. When compared with the base case simulation value of 4.59 wt% propylene yield, the maximized propylene yield is increased by 95%

    Enzymatically crosslinked Tyramine-Gellan gum hydrogels as drug delivery system for rheumatoid arthritis treatment

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    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by joint synovial inflammation, as well as cartilage and bone tissue destruction. Current strategies for the treatment of RA can reduce joint inflammation, but the treatment options still represent stability concerns since they are not sufficient and present a fast clearing. Thus, several drug delivery systems (DDS) have been advanced to tackle this limitation. Injectable gellan gum (GG) hydrogels, reduced by physical crosslinking methods, also being proposed as DDS, but this kind of crosslinking can produce hydrogels that become weaker in physiological conditions. Nevertheless, enzymatic crosslinking emerged as an alternative to increase mechanical strength, which can be adjusted by the degree of enzymatic crosslinking. In this study, tyramine-modified gellan gum (Ty-GG) hydrogels were developed via horseradish peroxidase (HRP) crosslinking; and betamethasone was encapsulated within, to increase the specificity and safety in the treatment of patients with RA. Physicochemical results showed that it was possible to modify GG with tyramine, with a degree of substitution of approximately 30%. They showed high mechanical strength and resistance, presenting a controlled betamethasone release profile over time. Ty-GG hydrogels also exhibited no cytotoxic effects and do not negatively affected the metabolic activity and proliferation of chondrogenic primary cells. Furthermore, the main goal was achieved since betamethasone-loaded Ty-GG hydrogels demonstrated to have a more effective therapeutic effect when compared with the administration of betamethasone alone. Therefore, the developed Ty-GG hydrogels represent a promising DDS and a reliable alternative to traditional treatments in patients with RANorte2020 project (“NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000044”), REMIX project (G.A. 778078 — REMIX — H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017), and Gilson Lab, Chonbuk National University, Republic of Korea. The FCT distinction attributed to J. Miguel Oliveira under the Investigator FCT program (IF/01285/2015) is also greatly acknowledged. C. Gonçalves also wish to acknowledge FCT for supporting her research (No. SFRH/BPD/94277/2013
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